Getting enough sleep is critical to your physical and mental health. Here are some tips to get you snoozing in no time.
Isn’t it funny how even reading the word “yawn” can make you yawn? And I’ve been doing a lot of yawning lately. Like many adults in the world, I’m not getting enough quality sleep to function at my best. For years I’ve struggled to get six hours a night, and I’d actually prefer to get seven or eight hours. This past Christmas, I received a Fitbit as a gift and started to see exactly how poor my sleep actually is. Remember, it helps to measure what you want to manage.
Here are some tips that I’ve been using to better my sleep, both quality and quantity:
- Keep the same sleep schedule seven days a week. Your body doesn’t really catch up on sleep on the weekends. Sleeping in can throw off your circadian clock.
- Keep the room dark and cool. Eye masks help block out light and can also relieve dry eye symptoms.
- Start a bedtime ritual. Be it a warm decaf beverage, hot shower or tub, yoga or stretching, or simply picking up a book, find a routine that lets your body know that it’s time to start shutting down.
- Watch your caffeine intake. Half of the caffeine you drink is still in your body six hours later. It takes ten hours to leave your system completely. So try to avoid anything caffeinated after 3pm, better if you can cut it off after lunch. And although chocolate has less caffeine than coffee, it also has a natural substance called theobromine that might give you more of a buzz than caffeine.
- Experts say to cut screen time before bed, and leave your phone out of the bedroom. I know myself too well and that isn’t an option. So I’ve found the next best thing—blue light blocking glasses. They’ve made a huge difference in my ability to fall asleep quickly. I bought a pair that I wear all day in front of the computer, and a second pair that fit over my prescription glasses for TV watching. I also use the computer pair when I use my phone late at night. The brands I bought are Benicci and Lvioe. Both came with test strips to see that the glasses actually block blue light, and Benicci is a small family owned business.
- Once in bed, I use a combination of muscle relaxation and breathing techniques to send myself off to sleep. Starting with my head, I relax my forehead muscles, then my cheeks and jaw. Working my way down my torso to my arms and hands, then to my legs and feet. While doing this, I consciously clear my mind, focusing on breathing deeply. If I’m still awake after this, I try the 4-7-8 breathing method. Take a deep breathe through your nose for the count of 4, hold your breathe for 7, lastly exhale deeply through your mouth for a count of 8. Repeat as necessary.
Sweet dreams!
Thanks for the advice on
blue light-blocking glasses and the tip about caffeine. I do try to get 7-8 hours of sleep and after waking up in the middle of the night, as I often do, I listen to rain or sea sounds combined with deep breathing to lull me back to sleep.